I call the 61 days between Halloween and New Year’s “the eating season,” because the temptation to snack on all kinds of crap is intrusive this time of year, with boxes of Belgian chocolate coming in with every client who has paid his bill, cocktail parties with egg-nog and Yule logs, enough pumpkin pie to make you feel like a pumpkin, and trays of Christmas cookies everywhere you turn.

If your brain is as sensitive as mine–sweets turbo charge the brain and then zap it of all its cognitive powers–you, too, have to pull out ever trick of discipline known to man, more even than is used to train those dogs at the airport who can smell pot on a passenger.

Remember this during the eating season: Jesus’ period of temptation ended after 40 days. We got 21 more to go. So don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember this, too: technically, you can start over each day.